This Company Takes Classic Cars and Electrifies Them
A California-based company, Zelectric, has been making the old new again by putting a tech twist on Volkswagon and Porsche classic models.
The company got started over 13 years, toying with the idea of a Retro-meets-Futuristic hybrid vehicle.
“Take that sweet German design and throw in a high-performance electric powertrain. That would just blow us out of the water. Outrageous! We wanted that in our garage,” says David Benardo: Zelectric Motors CEO, Director of R&D, and RetroFuturist, on the Zelectric website.
After six years of research, the company went on to electrify a vintage 63 Ragtop Bug and acknowledging that the future of driving would be electric, teamed up with experts in EV engineering and coined their first transformation the ZelectricBug.™
Today, the Zelectric retrofit features a custom-designed electric powertrain paired with select mechanical upgrades, all of which are retrofitted into investment-worthy vintage VW models and early Porsches. The company can zelectrify your current car or find one that’s right for you. Typically the teams works with Vintage German originals. Beetles, Microbuses, Karmann Ghias, Things, and early Porsches.
How They Do It
According to Zelectrify, it all starts with a 100% powertrain, along with proprietary modifications. There’s also the addition of upgraded suspension, lights, brakes to provide the most awesome retro-electric drive imaginable.
If you have your own vintage air-cooled classic, you can give it a Zelectric retrofit for prices beginning at $56,000 and up, depending on your model and options.
Check out this 100% electric 1967 VW 21-window microbus. Features include:
Plug in anywhere, Double+ the original horsepower, Regen braking, 120 foot-pounds of instant torque, 80+ MPH, Battery life: 160,000+ miles, – 12–15+ years Lithium Batteries (recyclable & dependable), No metal is cut – nothing welded on
